Ever since Meghan ruined changed my life with Pinterest, I’ve been itching to do some of the “do it yourself” crafts I always pin.  Well, nothing like two girls living together in Charlestown, each with their own adorable boyfriend in house, to ensure Valentine’s Day DIY tricks come out to play. It began with our mutual obsession for paper straws via Sipsticks.com where I found these beauties. Oh, and let’s not forget… printables.Once our handmade burlap stockings came down (ok so maybe I did one DIY project before this) our gorgeous exposed brick wall was looking lonely. Combine that with my Paper Source addiction and the banner idea was born.What you’ll need :

• Card Stock, 2 colors: Pink and Red were an obvious choice
• Twine
• Sharpie
• Scissors & glue
• Mini clothespins

Step 1:
Figure out what phrase you’ll be making as this will determine the number of hearts you need. We chose “Be My Valentine” so I knew I’d need 13 hearts plus one to separate the first two words. I printed a heart template so I wouldn’t have to free hand. Take the cardstock for your hearts, trace on each and cut carefully. (Hint: make sure you have GREAT scissors or you have a steady hand with an exacto knife)

Step 2:
Select a font. You may be tempted to go for fancy here however, keep in mind that you’ll have pink and red and hearts everywhere so it’s ok to go with a more structured letting. We opted for a typerwriter like font and I outlined in pencil first to make sure we approved of my handwriting. Once all letters are completed and are a similar size on each heart, trace over with the sharpie.

Step 3:
If you went on the cheap like I did, you’ll have to check all the backing to ensure it’s the same size. Cut and trim as necessary to make sure the background for the hearts is consistent. Once finished- time to glue. We used clear glue and spread it with a foam brush to adhere each heart to the red back. Have no fear- good old fashioned glue sticks are just fine too. Once glued, place a couple of heavy books on top of them for about a half an hour to keep them flat. This avoids any curling!

Step 4:
The fun begins! Hang your twine in your chosen area. We got to skip this step by already having it done for the stockings/putting the men to work. Nails, velcro, whatever will get the job done and whatever you have around the house. Once done, take the colored clothespin of choice and hang each of the letters! Yes, it’s really this easy